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8 Reasons to Add More Turmeric to Your Diet

A member of the ginger family, curcumin is this awesome compound that you can find in turmeric, which is a yellow powder that’s used to create Indian curry and can also be found in supplement form. Turmeric is revered for its anti-inflammatory and even curative benefits for some viral infections that normally would require medical attention. While this isn’t to say the turmeric should be used in lieu of visiting a health professional, it’s a powerful additive to make the most of in your diet and brings surprising results for many who try out the inexpensive and tasty spice on a daily basis.

Benefits of Turmeric

It’s worth noting before we start listing off the benefits of turmeric that too much of a good thing applies here as much as anywhere else. It can lead to nausea, diarrhea, gallbladder contractions, increased risks of bleeding and uterine contractions in women. With that said, moderation isn’t difficult — just don’t get carried away with it!

Something else to point out: Turmeric hasn’t exactly been tested in a laboratory setting for its effectiveness against any particular illness. As such, this list shouldn’t be treated as professional advice to cure any condition that you have. However, turmeric is known for a number of benefits that it consistently produces in people who begin taking it regularly. The contraindications and safe dosing measurements are unclear currently, but being a natural compound, it’s fair to assume that it’s safe for most people.

Because turmeric is difficult for the body to pull into the bloodstream, you’re highly recommended to take it with freshly ground pepper. This improves absorption and allows you to benefit more from what the spice has to offer.

All said, here are the eight reasons to consider adding more turmeric to your diet:

1. Anti-Inflammatory

This one gets the first mention because frankly, turmeric is bloody amazing at cutting down inflammation on a molecular level. It’s been preferred over tried-and-true medicine compounds that are intended to do the same thing.

2. Anti-Viral

If you form a paste out of a turmeric by adding a little water to the powder, you can actually use it as a topical anti-viral for conditions such as tonsillitis. You can also add it to a cup of water to create turmeric powder tea.

3. Antioxidant

The fine yellow powder is packed to the lips with antioxidant properties that protect the body from harmful free radicals. These free radicals definitely aren’t rad, dude — they’re terrible for the genetic consistency of your cellular makeup and heavily contribute to the aging and breakdown of the body as we pack on years.

4. Anti-Cancer

“Cancer” is a word that nobody likes to hear. However, there’s good news to be found here: The primary ingredient of curry is actually pretty awesome for dealing with cancer. Being a potent antioxidant, it’s wonderful for preventing cancer to begin with and limiting the continued growth of surrounding cells in those who are afflicted with it.

5. Brain Enhancer

Working as an effective treatment and preventative measure against Alzheimer’s, turmeric and its curcumin component are great at narrowing down mental clarity while protecting the brain in the long run. This probably has something to do with the aforementioned antioxidant benefit.

6. Heart Defender

Turmeric has been found to be effective at preventing and treating heart disease in general. The lack of this wonder spice in the Western world might have something to do with why heart disease is so rampant here, but you can help solve this by adding a little to your diet every day.

7. Mood Booster

If there’s no other reason for you to give turmeric a try, you might be interested to know that it’s a proven mood-booster. Of course, chocolate is too — but again, there’s such as thing as too much. Keep it varied!

8. Arthritis Reducer

Arthritis patients are in for good news: If you’re looking for a natural solution to your joint pain, check out turmeric. It’s a tried-and-true solution for a degree of arthritic pain, although it’s no cure on its own. Still, patients often benefit greatly from using a little turmeric every day.